Meridian Writing Style Guide by Fran Blumenfeld

Writing Style Guide

brand voice

general writing guidelines

technical and training guidelines 9 glossary 14 company boilerplates

typography 29 filename standards

meridian companies info

contact 38

Last Update: FY2020 Q1

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice

Writing shares wisdom It is the framework of communication All Meridian writing should reflect some basic ideals: Maintain relevancy; stick to the topic Simplify the complex Show experience; earn trust Always consider the intended audience The same words can have different interpretations – be aware of the impact of language A strong brand develops a clear, singular, overarching experience delivered across the globe, over time, allowing for translation and targeting, and resulting in instant recognition in the minds of our audience. Our brand is the unified, cohesive expression of who we are and how we stand together. It reflects our history and evolution in the years since our founding in 1979. A strong brand identity prepares us to be even more dynamic and successful in the future.

Meridian VOICE Constant | Sophisticated | Clever | Influential The voice of our brand is clever and sophisticated yet friendly and straightforward. It is the voice of our people, clearly intelligent but gracious, accommodating and helpful, with an underlying cheerfulness and warmth. Our intent is to be precise and clear, never seeking to dazzle with buzz words or clutter our copy with unnecessary acronyms. Foremost, we want our audience to understand what we mean, inspiring confidence in our team.

Meridian TONE

Adaptable | Semi-formal | Friendly | Straightforward What’s the difference between voice and tone? Think of it this way: You have the same voice all the time, but your tone changes. At Meridian, our voice doesn’t change much from day to day, but our tone changes all the time. Once you have an idea of your audience, you can adjust your tone accordingly.

Meridian CONTENT

Clear | Useful | Relevant | Appropriate It’s more important to be clear than entertaining. Focus on delivering your message, then feel free to add a touch of spice. Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

general writing guidelines

Meridian Writing Style Guide The foundation of Meridian writing is based on Associated Press style, with exceptions to those rules that reflect Meridian culture, tradition, preferences and needs. These special specifications are spelled out in this guide and glossary. This is a fluid document that we will expand and amend as necessary. Write in active voice and use positive language. In active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action. In passive voice, the subject of the sentence has the action done to it. Words like “was” and “by” may indicate that you’re writing in passive voice. Scan for these words and rework sentences where they appear. Example: Yes: Mary logged into the account. No: The account was logged into by Mary. It can help to read your writing out loud to get a sense of how it sounds to readers. Most business writing tries to impress by assuming a ‘businesslike’ voice, clouding the message and putting readers to sleep. Our down-to-earth approach is a fresh change from dry, corporate voices. Using some wit, humor and emotion can make a message memorable and remind the reader that there’s another human being behind the writing For spelling, hyphenation, etc., we use the Meriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus (found online at www.m-w.com). We will record noted acceptable Meridian style exceptions to M-W in this Meridian Writing Style Guide. Check our Glossary first for exceptions. There is a correct way to write and a “tech” way to talk. Meridian employees use technical jargon verbally all the time. However, when we use technical terms in sales and marketing, there is no excuse for being grammatically incorrect. Write in plain English. If you need to use a technical term, briefly define it so everyone can understand. We will keep up with making changes and additions to this guide as issues arise and we find solutions, and updates will be available on a quarterly schedule. If it seems like something is missing, a problem needs to be addressed or a question asked, please let us know.

Our Guidelines Goal • • • • • •

Create clarity on style standards and answer common questions Promote consistent, helpful and thoughtful content Encourage teams to collaborate and share ideas within our organization Improve the writing experience and shorten composition time Advance the user experience Make a nuisance of yourself! If you see that someone in your crew is always making the same mistake, let them know — most people would rather learn that they’re incorrect than go on making the same mistakes

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

general writing guidelines Writing About People • Don’t reference age or disability unless it is relevant to what you are writing • Avoid gendered language and use the singular “they” • When writing about a person, use their preferred pronouns; if you do not know those, just use their name • Don’t refer to someone as a “ninja,” “rock star,” or “wizard” unless they literally are one

Writing About Meridian • • • • •

Our company’s legal entity name is “Meridian Group International, Inc.” Our trade name is “Meridian Group” Use “Meridian Group International, Inc.” when writing legal documents or contracts Refer to Meridian Group and our staff as “we,” not “it” Meridian Group can be defined as a privately owned international technology services and leasing company • There are currently 10 companies in the Meridian Group: • Meridian Leasing • Meridian IT Inc. • Meridian IT United Kingdom • Concat AG • Meridian IT Australia • Meridian IT Singapore • Meridian IT India • Meridian IT Hong Kong • Meridian IT China • Meridian IT Canada • Honor other companies’ names for themselves and their products; refer to the usage on their official websites • For more complete info on our companies, see the Meridian Around the World section following

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

general writing guidelines Writing for Clarity and Consistency • • • • • • •

•

• • •

• •

Create a hierarchy with the most significant information first Use plain language; write short sentences with familiar words Too many industry buzzwords are a buzzkill A single space between sentences is sufficient Place similar topics in the same paragraph; separate different topics with headings Headings and subheads should follow the examples in the Typefaces section (be consistent throughout a document/project/series), and do not end with a period Meridian body copy often uses lead-in sentences, below a heading as a subhead, to lead into a paragraph; lead-ins end with periods (or other appropriate punctuation), but MUST be a sentence Use links to provide information on the associated action or destination (tell the user where the link will take them); if possible, avoid saying the overused “click here” or “learn more” Images are helpful when showing a procedure or conveying an idea; using a descriptive caption prevents misinterpretation Avoid directional instructions or language that requires the reader to see the layout or design of the page For readability, lines of body copy should be less than 115 spaces wide, flush left; if lines are too long, adjust margins, use a larger font size or break copy into more than one column Avoid justified columns When making a bulleted list, consider whether it really needs to be bulleted or not (Note: if your list has only one item, it doesn’t need to be bulleted); no end punctuation for bullet lists except if the list is made up of multiple endings for a single sentence

Writing for language translation. These notes would be useful to keep in mind for all writing in general, but especially for translation into other languages. • Be aware of the impact of your language – words can have different meanings in different cultures • Use active voice • Avoid double negatives • Use contractions with caution, as they sometimes translate poorly • Avoid using synonyms for the same word in a single piece of writing • Write briefly, but don’t sacrifice clarity for brevity; you may need to repeat or add words to make the meaning of your sentences clear to a translator • Avoid slang, idioms, and clichés • Avoid unnecessary abbreviations

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

technical and training guidelines

Technical and Training Guidelines This section will lay out the guiding principles of technical and training content only. For marketing or general writing, refer to the preceding guidelines and the Glossary.

Basics Someone reading technical or training content is usually looking to answer a specific question. That question might be broad or narrowly focused, but either way our goal is to provide answers without distraction. For each project, consider your audience’s background, goals and current mood. Ask these questions: • • •

Is the reader a prospective user, a new user, or an experienced user? What is the goal of the reader? To complete a task? To research a topic? Is the reader in the middle of a task? Are they in a hurry? Could they be frustrated?

We don’t want to overload a reader with unnecessary information, choices to make, or complex ideas or phrases. This is particularly critical when a user may be new and/or frustrated. When relevant, prime the reader with a brief outline of an article’s focus in an introductory paragraph or section, and stick to the topic at hand. Keep sentences, paragraphs and procedural steps focused and concise.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

technical and training guidelines Types of Technical and Training Content Technical content articles vary in target audience, goal and tone. Meridianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technical content is built from eight templates that serve different purposes and readers.

Article Template

User Type

Goal

Best Practices

all

Context Make connections between current training and overall subject.

Cheat Sheet

intermediate, advanced

Reference Include all relevant topics and common scenarios.

Getting Started

prospective, new

Overview Include a brief outline of topic, uses, benefits and related topics. Use links to best practices, cheat sheets and feature overviews.

Policy

all

Education Provide digestible information about critical legal policies and procedures.

Pathfinder

prospective, new, intermediate

Orientation Bundle topics and provide links to relevant tutorials.

Troubleshooting

new, intermediate, advanced

Support Outline expected behavior and include potential causes of unexpected behavior. Group by cause or topic.

Tutorial

new, intermediate

Guidance Briefly describe a task, provide a roadmap and prerequisites, and clear step-by-step instructions.

Warning

new, intermediate, advanced

Assurance Outline warning type, explain why something happened, and include next steps for users.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

technical and training guidelines Drafting Technical Content Before you begin writing a new article, reach out to a subject matter expert (like an engineer, tester, designer, researcher or technical support advisor) to get as much information as possible. You may only use a small portion of what you learn, but it helps to have more information than you need to decide where to focus your article. Consider the number of articles needed and what article types will best describe a new feature or tasks to the user. Outline your article, then write a draft. Stay in touch with your subject matter expert (SME) and revise as needed for accuracy, consistency and length. When you’re happy with a draft, pass it to another technical writer for peer review. Then show it to a lead technical writer for additional review and revisions. For new content or highly complex content, send the last draft to your SME for final approval.

Writing Technical Content When writing technical content, follow the style points outlined in the Brand Voice and General Writing Guidelines sections. Here are some more general pointers, too.

Stay Relevant to the Title When a user clicks the title of an article, they expect to find the answer they want. Don’t stray too far from the title or topic at hand. Use links to make related content available. If you find you’re getting too far from the intended topic, then you may need to create a separate but related article.

Keep Headlines and Paragraphs Short and Scannable Focused users often scan an article for the part that will answer their question. Be sure headlines are short, descriptive and parallel to facilitate scanning.

Write in Second Person and Describe Actions Technical content speaks to users when support agents can’t.

Strive for Simplicity and Clarity Be as clear as possible. Use simple words and phrases, avoid gerunds and hard-to-translate idioms or words, focus on the specific task, and limit the number of sentences per paragraph. If you must include edge cases or tangentially related information, set it aside in a Before You Start list or Notes field.

Provide Context via Embedded Screenshots and Images Screenshots and images may not be necessary for every article or process, but can be helpful to orient new users. Crop screenshots tightly around the action to focus attention.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

technical and training guidelines Editing Technical Content We edit technical content based on three goals:

Digestibility • • •

Cut or tighten redundancies, gerunds, adverbs and passive constructions Use the simplest word Try to limit paragraphs to three sentences

Consistency • • •

Use the labels and terminology applied to the subject Use specific, active verbs for certain tasks Choose basic words and phrases to facilitate consistency across translated content

Helpfulness • • • •

Stay conversational, using contractions when appropriate (except for material requiring translation) Avoid qualifiers that muddy meaning Express understanding when appropriate Craft clear transitions from section to section to orient the reader

Writing Technical Content When writing technical content, follow the style points outlined in the Brand Voice and General Writing Guideline sections. Here are some more general pointers, too.

Capitalization Capitalize proper names of products, features, pages, tools and team names when directly mentioned. In step-by-step instructions, capitalize and italicize navigation and button labels consistently.

Headings Group article content with H2 and H3 subheads. Use H2s to organize content by higher-level topics or goals, and use H3s within each section to separate supporting information or tasks.

Numbered Lists Only use numbered lists for step-by-step instructions. Separate steps into logical chunks, with no more than two related actions per step. When additional explanation or a screenshot is necessary, use a line break inside the list item.

Bulleted Lists Use bulleted lists to display unordered examples or multiple notes.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary

Meridian Glossary As a multinational, multicultural company, we speak in a unified voice, written and verbally. These words — and punctuation — can be slippery. This glossary should help you get a grip and avoid making mistakes. Here’s how we write them. Listings without further explanation or definition are there to define proper spelling. abbreviations — use discouraged in body copy and situations where there’s plenty of room; we allow lowercase abbreviations of measures after numbers, especially in tables and graphics (23 mm, 312 in, 4,561 mL), as long as the meaning is clear; spell out amounts if there might be confusion (45 yards) acronyms — use without periods unless defined otherwise; certain acronyms are familiar enough to the public to use without explanation (FBI, scuba, HIV); spell out less-familiar acronyms on first use in a document if you’re going to use them multiple times, with the acronym in parentheses: International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) add in (verb) or add-in (noun, adjective) add on (verb) or add-on (noun, adjective) address — to accommodate potential international audiences, spell out words (states, streets) whenever there’s room (abbreviations okay for return address labels) address Australia — correct mailing address format for Australia can be found here: http://bitboost.com/ref/international-address-formats/australia/ ; follow link to index for formats in other countries am or pm — as in 5am, 11:30 pm; see time ampersand — (&) use in place of ‘and’ is allowed (though not encouraged) in bullets and headings for graphic effect, but be consistent within documents or series of documents; use in copy only when it is part of a company’s name or in a composition title Arc — capitalized when referring to our logomark brand element back end (noun) or back-end (adjective) beta (unfinished program, software, app) or BETA (programming language) or Beta (Betamax video recording format) billion — if space needed, abbreviate as capital B following a number ($477B)

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary blog — a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, written in an informal or conversational style Business Associate Agreement — BAA B2B — familiar acronym for business-to-business bulleted lists — do not end list entries with a period if you can avoid it; separate statements with semicolons (if your entries have several sentences they should probably be paragraphs); lists that describe an ordered sequence should be a numbered list capitalization — beware of overcapitalization; see AP Stylebook rules Change Order — CO checkbox cities — spell out all city and state names in full; state names should accompany all cities, except for: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington Cloud — capitalize as proper noun, but use lowercase for cloud services, cloud computing, cloud hosting colon — use a colon in copy to offset a list (Erin ordered 3 kinds of donuts: glazed, chocolate, and pumpkin.) or separate a title from subtitle (Avengers: Endgame); also use a colon to join 2 related phrases — if a complete sentence follows the colon, capitalize the first word (I was faced with a dilemma: I wanted a donut, but I’d just eaten a bagel.) commas — use commas in copy according to AP style – no Oxford comma before a conjunction in lists unless meaning would be damaged without it contractions — avoid when writing for translation, but otherwise use as you see fit; if contractions occur less than five minutes apart, you should go to the hospital copyright — proper legal copyright consists of the copyright symbol, followed by the date of original publication, then the name of the copyright holder (©2019 Meridian Group International) coworker

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary cybercrime cybersecurity data center — two words, whether American or English (data centre) dates —in general copy, spell out the month in full, then the date and year after a comma (April 25, 2019); for technical use such as charts, tables, etc., use ISO standard date notation (1999-04-25) or the abbreviated form (19990425) decades — the 1980s, the ‘80s, the 2000s, the ‘00s; if decade is more than 100 years ago or in the future, be more specific (the 1890s, the 1460s, the 2320s) department — capitalize and spell out department names (“Department of Robot Services”) directions and regions – lowercase directions in general, but capitalize when referring to a specific region (turn north, western Kentucky, the East Coast, South Carolina) double-click drop down (verb) or drop-down (noun, adjective) e-commerce — the industry ePub — both an electronic publication and a general industry email — never hyphenate; never capitalize unless it begins a sentence em dash — when used mid-sentence, leave a space before — and after the dash emoji — singular and plural; use emoji infrequently and deliberately emoticon — [:-P] en dash — use between a span without spaces (0–60, April–June, 4:40–5:00 pm); see spans/ranges Facebook — our social media “Swiss Army knife” file extensions — when referring generally to a file extension type, use all uppercase without a period and add a lowercase “s” to make plural (PDF, HTML, JPGs); when referring to a specific file, the filename should be lowercase (default.html, coffee-cup.gif, trojan.exe, MGI_Writing-Style-Guide_20190501.pdf) filename — AP doesn’t list but seems to favor two words; we favor one Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary firewall 401(k) fractions — spell out fractions (two-thirds, four-elevenths) in copy, but fractions (2/3, 4/11) in diagrams, tables, charts, etc.; use decimal points when a number can’t be easily written out as a fraction or where more precision is required (1.375, 47.2) front end (noun) or front-end (adjective) geolocation Globe — capitalize when referring to our logomark GPS — Global Positioning System, acceptable as noun on first use; also, gallons per second, spell out on first use hashtag — [#] a code mark linking posts on social media sites headings — format headings and subheads within documents as per examples in the Typefaces section (be consistent throughout a document/project/series), and do not end with a period (except for lead-ins, see below) healthcare — yeah, we know AP favors two words (but may accept one as adjective) but this is becoming more common and edging toward universal acceptance homepage hyphen — hyphenate phrases that form an adjective (high-growth sectors, feel-good hit, all-too human, four-page memo), but do not follow words ending in “ly” with a hyphen (highly regarded expert, wholly owned subsidiary) Instagram — primarily used for photo and video posts; our “wild card” social media site integrate internet IT — Information Technology; IT acceptable as common knowledge, but try not to confuse with the word “it” KPI — key performance indicator; familiar in corporate world lead-ins — Meridian body copy often uses lead-in sentences, either below or instead of a head or subhead, to lead into a paragraph; lead-ins end with periods (or other appropriate punctuation), but MUST be a sentence and be capitalized like one Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary leaseback like — the social media activity LinkedIn — our “flagship” social media site login (noun, adjective) or log in (verb) logo — see Meridian Logo & Brand Guidelines for proper use of logomark and logotype logomark — the Meridian Globe alone

logotype — the Meridian logomark combined with company name; preferred over logomark whenever there is room; see Logo & Brand Guidelines

Master Agreement for Equipment and Services — MAES Managed Monitoring Agreement — MMA Meridian Group International, Inc. — for formal/legal use full name; for more casual situations, MGI, Meridian Group or Meridian; MGI embraces 10 companies worldwide: •

Concat AG — (Germany)

•

Meridian IT Inc. — (USA) MITUS

•

Meridian IT Australia — MITAU

•

Meridian IT Canada — MITCA

•

Meridian IT China — MITC

•

Meridian IT Hong Kong — MITHK

•

Meridian IT India — MITI

•

Meridian IT Singapore — MITS

•

Meridian IT United Kingdom — Meridian UK, MITUK

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary •

Meridian Leasing — (USA) the original Meridian company, MLC

For more complete info, see the Meridian Around the World section following million — if space needed, abbreviate as capital M following a number ($477M) more than and less than — is correct more than “over” or “under” for the most part (more than 700 employees, less than six kilos, more than 54 pages); over, above, below and under can be used to note relation to points on a scale (20 below zero, over two hours, under 55 mph) or percentages; if a figure is 107, write “107” and not “more than 100” unless the figure is likely to fluctuate rapidly in the near future Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement — MNDA Nondisclosure Agreement — NDA numbered lists — lists that describe an ordered sequence should be a numbered list; lists of complete sentences can use end punctuation number — abbreviate as No. (No. 4, No. 32), not # numbers and numerals —generally, follow AP rules; in most cases, write one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, etc. (except at the start of a sentence, where all numbers except calendar years are spelled out); if more than three digits, use commas (1,000, 4,677,897); in small spaces (charts, tweets) or common usage (10k), numerals can be abbreviated (23k, 100M, $70B); see fractions, phone numbers, temperatures, time OK or okay — be consistent within documents, okay? online — never capitalize unless it begins a sentence, do not hyphenate on premises or off premises — written or verbal (“Take that skunk off premises!”) on-premises or off-premises — adjective only (“That off-premises skunk is on premises again.”) on prem or off prem — verbal ONLY on-site or off-site — adjective: “We have a great on-site gym.” on site or off site — after the noun or when you need to separate the two words: “You’ll have to take your pet wolverine off site.” opt in (verb) or opt-in (noun, adjective)

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary opt out (verb) or opt-out (noun, adjective) over and under — see more than / less than page numbers — publications without facing pages (one-sided print) should have a small logotype on the bottom left of the page and page numbers (Roboto 9 pt bold) in the bottom right; covers and display pages do not require page numbers percentage — symbol-averse AP Style, built for wire service, says write out “percent” (50 percent), but Meridian culture favors the symbol (50%) periods — Do not use periods to end a heading; avoid using in bulleted or unbulleted lists phone numbers — see Contact section for country formats; for USA, include area code (and country code if used internationally) in this format: XXX-YYY-ZZZZ pop up (verb) or pop-up (noun, adjective) quotes — when using a quote, attribute the speaker or writer semicolons — go easy on semicolons; they usually support long, complicated sentences that could easily be simplified; try an em dash ( — ) instead, or simply start a new sentence sentences — in copy, use a single space between sentences Service Estimate — SE schools — first mention a school, college, or university in a piece, refer to it by its full official name (Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University); on all other mentions, use its more common abbreviation (Georgia Tech, GSU) signup (noun, adjective) or sign up (verb) slash — slant/solidus/virgule/forward slash/stroke/oblique (/); avoid in formal writing but use without spaces when used to denote “and/or” meaning between words (Dear Sir/Madam, compare/contrast) or when using in fractions (3/4, 8/1,023), informal dates (4/20/2019, 5/4/1977) or common phrases (24/7, AC/DC); when used in place of “or” between longer phrases or sentences, use with spaces (I’ll get back to you later this afternoon / early this evening, we hang out behind the bus garage / under the bleachers) smartphone social media — see more in our Social Media Guide Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary spans/ranges — use an en dash between a span or range without spaces (0–60 mph, April–June, 4:40–5:00 pm, S–XXL) Statement of Work — SoW states — spell out state names in body copy and in addresses if there’s room Subcontractor Agreement or Reverse Subcontractor Agreement — SUB or RSUB sublease sync temperature — use the degree symbol (°) and the capital F abbreviation for Fahrenheit or C for Celsius (98°F or 18°C) 3D printer — also 3D movie time — ISO international standard notation for the time of day is hh:mm:ss (23:59:59); in copy, use numerals except for 12pm (noon) and 12am (midnight); if after the hour, use a colon to separate hours from minutes from seconds (4:25, 10:45:10) as in ISO standard; we accept the 12- or 24-hour clock as long as it is used consistently in the document; when using the 12 hour clock, make sure to specify before or after the meridian (noon) — AP style uses periods (a.m.), but we don’t (4:40 pm, 5 am, 11:23 am); omit zeros if time is on the hour (7 pm) unless as part of a list of varying times (7:00 am, 7:15 am, 7:30 am); avoid redundancies (6:30 am this morning); “o’clock” is acceptable for casual use (5 o’clock); if writing for an audience beyond your time zone, specify local time (10 am CDT) titles — for books, computer games, movies, television/radio series, operas, music albums, use title case and italics (To Kill a Mockingbird, Leave It to Beaver, Who Moved My Cheese?, Plan 9 From Outer Space); for song, poem, painting and story titles, use title case inside quotes (“Eight Days A Week”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “American Gothic”) titles (job) — do not capitalize job titles except just preceding names or as part of a signature (Chief Executive Officer Brad Ihlenfeld, Brad is our chief executive officer) or as an acronym (please give a round of applause for Brad, our CEO) Trojan horse — a form of computer virus tweet, retweet Twitter — our “runner” social media site 21st century

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

glossary United Kingdom — UK United States — the country; can abbreviate to U.S. (per AP Style) or USA username — no hyphen URL — universal (or uniform) resource locator; acceptable as noun on first use web address — use “www.” prefix for clarity, but protocol (“http://”) is not necessary; if the URL ends a sentence, a period at the end is unnecessary and may interfere with links, but other appropriate punctuation (?, !) may be used after a space website Wi-Fi YouTube — video sharing site; our “bull” social media site

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

company boilerplates

Company boilerplates Often, we need to include brief descriptions of our companies in our writing, whether it’s for a press release, a brochure or a presentation. Here are a few examples of boilerplate descriptions that can be used and/or adapted for this purpose. The MGI boilerplates immediately below are examples of boilerplates for MGI that can serve on their own, but add them on after boilerplates for the individual Meridian companies following.

About Meridian Group International (word count = 39) The Meridian Group is an organization of full-service business solutions companies committed to delivering across all sectors, with expertise in equipment leasing and technology services that meet budgetary and compliance regulations for all industries. For more information, visit www.onlinemeridian.com

About Meridian Group International (word count = 101) Meridian Group International, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, is an independent, privately held, leading U.S. lessor of new and refurbished equipment, and a toptier provider of global IT services across all industry sectors. A full-service portfolio offers clients certified vendor expertise, a range of deployment models, lease and finance options, contract management, ongoing maintenance, and global support. Operating since 1979, Meridian remains customer focused with extensive knowledge and reputation for helping businesses innovate and grow while managing costs and compliance regulations. With locations across Europe, North America, and AsiaPacific, we are your local partner with global reach. For more information, visit www. onlinemeridian.com

About Meridian Leasing (word count = 39) Since 1979, Meridian Leasing has been a leading equipment lessor in the USA. Meridian Leasing is also a core member of Meridian Group International, which provides comprehensive IT solutions and services across four continents. To learn more, visit www.meridianleasing.com.

About Meridian IT (word count = 74) Meridian IT is a Meridian Group International company. Independent, privately-held, vendor-neutral and international, Meridian’s engagement optimizes the value of IT investments in any industry and any location, supporting clients’ technology initiatives with responsive, flexible, expert and reliable service. Meridian offers a wide range of options in solutions and deployment strategies — together with high-level knowledge and specialized skills from our technical teams — to assure project completion, on-time and within budget. To learn more, visit www.meridianitinc.com.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

company boilerplates

Company boilerplates (continued) About Meridian IT Inc. (word count = 74) Meridian IT is a member of Meridian Group International, operating worldwide. Built on our Prime Pillars — cloud services, data center solutions, security management and unified workspace — we provide flexible IT solutions powered by leading vendors, managed services, deployment options, ongoing maintenance and global support. As part of a group that offers equipment leasing, clients leverage our comprehensive portfolio, capabilities and industry insights to support their business initiatives and growth. To learn more, visit www.meridianitinc.com.

About Meridian IT Canada (word count = 45) Meridian IT Canada, located in Toronto, is part of Meridian Group International, providing equipment leasing, technology and global support services. Vendor-neutral, customerdriven and results-focused, Meridian has extensive knowledge and opportunities for helping businesses innovate and grow while managing costs. To learn more, visit www. meridianitcanada.com.

About Meridian IT UK (word count = 68) Meridian IT UK is a leading information technology company in Henley-in-Arden. Clients leverage a single point of contact, comprehensive services portfolio, technical expertise and a broad range of deployment and management options to maximise the value of their IT investments. The combination of business expertise with design excellence — concentrated in data center, unified workspace, security management and cloud services — empower businesses to transform. To learn more, visit www.meridianit.co.uk.

About Concat AG (word count = 84) Concat AG, established in 1990 and headquartered in Bensheim, with 14 regional offices across Germany, is well-positioned for providing a diversified portfolio of infrastructure IT, managed services and support, and cloud solutions. Concat’s skilled teams deliver customized offerings, including virtualization, storage, networking, and data security, to help clients achieve compliance, efficiency, growth and industry transformation. Concat GmbH, a subsidiary, operates secure German data centres certified by ISO 9001 and 27001. Concat is a Meridian Group International company since 2006. To learn more, visit www.concat.de.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

company boilerplates

Company boilerplates (continued) About Meridian IT Australia (word count = 66) Meridian IT Australia is a leading information technology company. Clients leverage a single point of contact, comprehensive services portfolio, technical expertise and a broad range of deployment and management options to maximize the value of their IT investments. The combination of business savvy with design excellence — concentrated on data center, unified workspace, cloud services and security management — empower businesses to transform. To learn more, visit www.meridianit.com.au.

About Meridian IT Singapore (word count = 67) Meridian IT Singapore is a leading information technology company. Clients leverage a single point of contact, comprehensive portfolio, technical expertise and a broad range of deployment and management options to maximize the value of their IT investments. The combination of business expertise with design excellence around the data center, unified workspace, cloud services and security and risk management empower businesses to transform. To learn more, visit www.meridianitsingapore.com.

About Meridian IT India (word count = 147) Meridian IT (India) Private Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Meridian Group Inc. (USA), specialising in business technology solutions. The core vision of Meridian Group is to help organisations optimise the strategic value of their IT investments through a wide portfolio of solutions, services and deployment models. The strategy of offering Meridian customers one point of contact with global delivery and support enhances companies’ value and improves their business agility. Covering strategic alliances with all major global IT vendors, our certifications and accreditations will undoubtedly meet the requirements client’s demand of their IT supply chain. Meridian IT India can deliver professional and dedicated services to a client’s project through qualified project management skills, as well as supporting with ITIL methodology. We strive to add value in what we do and look forward to working with customers on a long-term business relationship. To learn more, visit www.meridianitindia.com.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

company boilerplates

Company boilerplates (continued) About Meridian IT Hong Kong (word count = 94) The companies of Meridian Group International ensure clients acquire technology in ways that best meet their requirements. We architect, optimize and maintain system functions with high-quality support to protect our clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investments. Working with other Meridian companies, we are uniquely positioned to be a full life-cycle provider. Since 1979, Meridian Group has experienced continuous profitability and worldwide growth through Meridian Leasing, Meridian IT UK, Meridian IT Inc., Concat AG, Meridian IT Australia, Meridian IT Singapore, Meridian IT India, Meridian IT Hong Kong, Meridian IT China and Meridian IT Canada. To learn more, visit www.meridianit.com.hk.

About Meridian IT China (word count = 95) The companies of Meridian Group International ensure clients acquire technology in ways that best meet their requirements. We architect, optimize and maintain system functions with high quality support to protect our clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investments. Working with other Meridian companies, we are uniquely positioned to be a full life-cycle provider. Since 1979, Meridian Group has experienced continuous profitability and worldwide growth through Meridian Leasing, Meridian IT UK, Meridian IT Inc., Concat AG, Meridian IT Australia, Meridian IT Singapore, Meridian IT India, Meridian IT Hong Kong, Meridian IT China and Meridian IT Canada. To learn more, visit www.meridianit.com.cn.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

Typography Our business solutions take our customers to new places. To reflect that, we have selected a typeface that is contemporary, clean and modern â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not trendy. Roboto offers legibility at several font weights. Roboto is not a standard font and is not available on all computers. For all content where Roboto is unavailable, use an alternate typeface to ensure all written material stays uniform. Primary Typeface: Roboto ROBOTO LIGHT

ROBOTO BOLD

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

ROBOTO REGULAR

ROBOTO THIN BOLD

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Alternate Typefaces: Helvetica (Mac) or Arial (Windows/PC) HELVETICA NEUE LIGHT

ARIAL REGULAR

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

HELVETICA NEUE REGULAR

ARIAL BOLD

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

HELVETICA NEUE BOLD

ARIAL NARROW BOLD

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

HELVETICA NEUE CONDENSED BOLD

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

The art of arranging text Heading (H1) style | Roboto Light | 25pt / 30pt | Black

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet Subheading (H2) style | Roboto Condensed Bold | 12pt / 18pt | Black | Uppercase

LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, CONSECTETUR ADIPISCING ELIT, SED DO EIUSMOD TEMPOR INCIDIDUNT UT LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA ALIQUA

Subheading (H3) style | Roboto Light | 12pt / 18pt | Black

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod

Paragraph style | Roboto Light | 10pt / 14pt | 80% black Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Quote/callout style | Roboto Light | 12pt / 16pt | #006FB9

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque.â&#x20AC;? - Author Reverse style | Roboto Regular | 10pt / 14pt | White

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae.

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

filename standards

Meridian Filename Standards To make Meridian digital files easier to find and organize, follow this standard template for naming files for files related to client projects and internal business. • • • •

Separate all main sections with underscores ( _ ) Use dashes ( - ) within sections as word separators Leave out sections that do not apply to the file BE CONSISTENT — a group of misnamed files are easier to find and rename if the error is the same in all files

Standard filenames should look like this:

<Client-or-Partner-Name>_<Meridian-company-abbreviation><Office-Location>_<File-Type>_<File-Description>_<Creation/revisiondate>_<Status>.<file-extension> Here is a breakdown of these ingredients: <Client-or-Partner-Name> — Use abbreviations to keep filenames short, but be careful to be consistent and avoid confusion. If necessary, add more information like state abbreviation or division to differentiate from other companies or business partners. <Meridian-company-abbreviation> — MGI, MITUS, MLC, MITCA, MITUK, MITHK, MITC, Concat, MITS, MITA. <Office-Location> — If the company office involved is not the country’s main headquarters, add an identifier (i.e., MITUS-MN, MITUS-Knoxville, MLA-Boston). <File-Type> — Use common abbreviations if understood by users (i.e., NDA for nondisclosure agreement, SOW for statement of work, MSA for master service agreement). <File-Description> — Keep it brief but easily understood. Usually the title of the document will work fine. Include any pertinent file numbers. <Creation/revision-date> — Use this format: YYYYMMDD. Follow with lowercase letter in order for revisions saved on the same date (20190325a). <Status> — For documents that require signatures, mark SIGNED or FILED. <file-extension> — Portable document format (pdf), Microsoft Word (docx), PowerPoint (ppt), ASCII text (txt), etc. Examples: MGI_Filename-Standards-Guide_20190325.docx EBS_MITUS-FL_SOW_Cloud-Strategy-Assessment_18740425k.pdf EBS_MITUS-FL_SOW_Cloud-Strategy-Assessment-Luncheon-Invite_18740516.pdf Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

meridian companies info

Meridian Around the World UNITED STATES Meridian Group International, Inc. Meridian Group/ MGI

1-800-426-3090 www.onlinemeridian.com

Meridian Leasing Corporation Meridian Leasing/ MLC

1-847-940-1200 www.meridianleasing.com

Meridian IT Inc. Meridian IT/ MITUS

1-847-964-2664 www.meridianitinc.com Corporate Headquarters Nine Parkway North, Suite 500 Deerfield, Illinois 60015 USA

CANADA Meridian International Technology Canada, Ltd. Meridian IT Canada/ MITCA Meridian Equipment Leasing Canada, Ltd. Meridian Leasing Canada/ MLCC

www.meridianitcanada.com Regus Exchange Tower 130 King Street West Suite 1800 Toronto, Ontario M5X1E3 Canada

UNITED KINGDOM Meridian IT Limited Meridian IT UK/ MITUK

+44 (0) 1564 330 650 www.meridianit.co.uk Forward House 17 High Street, Henley-in-Arden Warwickshire, B95 5AA United Kingdom

HONG KONG Meridian IT Limited Meridian IT Hong Kong/ MITHK

+852 2824 8332 www.meridianit.com.cn Operational Office 2nd Floor, Shui On Centre 6-8 Harbour Road Wan Chai, Hong Kong China

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

meridian companies info

Meridian Around the World CHINA Meridian IT Services (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Meridian IT China/ MITC

www.meridianit.com.cn Office 103-107S, 1F Building 1, Changxing Building No. 888 Bibo Road Pudong, Shanghai China

GERMANY Concat AG Concat

+49 (6251) 70260 www.concat.de Berliner Ring 127-129 64625 Bensheim Germany

Synergy Systems Networks GmbH Synergy Systems Networks/ Synergy Synergy Systems Services GmbH Synergy Systems Services/ Synergy

+49 (8989) 080500 www.synergysystems.de Konrad-Zuse-Platz 8 81829 MĂźnchen Germany

SINGAPORE Meridian IT Solutions Pte. Meridian IT Singapore/ MITS

+65 6686 3307 www.meridianitsingapore.com 12 Tannery Road HB Centre 1, #09-04 34772 Singapore

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

meridian companies info

Meridian Around the World AUSTRALIA Meridian IT Pty Ltd Meridian IT Australia/ MITA

+61 (02) 8870 9000 www.meridianit.com.au Suite 602, Building C 11 Talavera Road Macquarie Park NSW 2113 Australia

INDIA Meridian IT (India) Private Limited Meridian IT India/ MITI

+91 22257 05251 www.meridianitindia.com 503B Sigma Building Technology Street Hiranandani Business Park Powai, Mumbai 400076 India

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

brand voice general writing guidelines technical and training guidelines glossary company boilerplates typography filename standards meridian companies info contact us

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

Contact To ask for assistance or offer unabashed praise, please contact Corporate Communications at cc@onlinemeridian.com.

Fran Blumenfeld VP, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS 847-964-2772 fblumenfeld@onlinemeridian.com

Bev Goff COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Brian Thomas BRAND STRATEGY EDITOR

Tony De Castro VISUAL DESIGNER

Writing Style Guide | Meridian Group International

Nine Parkway North, Suite 500 Deerfield, Illinois 60015 USA Telephone. 1-800-426-3090 www.onlinemeridian.com

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